


The Sea and the Stars

by CrescentViolett



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Confessions, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Love Confessions, Lunch, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Post-Time Skip, Sailing, Sea, Sunsets, date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25612108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrescentViolett/pseuds/CrescentViolett
Summary: Years after the war Petra invites Dorothea over to Brigid; and while both have been longing towards each for years, neither of them wanted to admit that easily to their feelings. But as a date between them works better than both had expected, Petra confesses to Dorothea.Dorothea however, needs a little more to be able to admit her feelings...
Relationships: Doropetra - Relationship, Dorothea Arnault & Petra Macneary, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	The Sea and the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Made this for Lovable Bonds zine! Check out all the other amazing creators on twitter @bondsfanzine ( https://twitter.com/bondsfanzine ), and while you're there check out my own twitter for any updates on new fics!  
> @CrescentViolett

A soft breeze played with her hair as she looked out over the sea. The port was filled with sailors and merchants, but the person she was waiting for had yet to come into her vision. The salt of the sea filled her nostrils, the scent unfamiliar to Dorothea - who never came to the sea if she could help it. Not that she was afraid of it, she just never had a reason to. 

Not until the Queen of Brigid had asked her to come here herself. It was a fleeting moment, one she didn't remember well. Petra had walked by the day before and asked her to go to the port in the morning the next day. No explanation, just a wink and a chuckle before she left Dorothea alone on the streets of Brigid.

Was this… normal in Brigid? She had only recently moved, the language and habits still foreign to her while navigating her new job.

After Edelgard had won the war Petra had immediately made plans to go back to Brigid as the rightful heir to the throne. She had asked Dorothea multiple times to come along, but the fear of losing the stability provided by Edelgard had held her back.

A few weeks ago she had found out Brigid was booming, not only on the economical side but also culturally. Artists from all over Fódlan tried their luck in the new centre of creativity and artistic freedom. Dorothea couldn't wait to go to Brigid after learning the opera was helping singers go abroad if they wanted to. It had scared her, but the thought of the Queen had send all her worries away.

Since Dorothea's arrival they had only met up twice however. Sad as it was, she didn't dare ask for Petra's time - she had been busy for a few years now, and with Brigid growing quicker than ever she just didn't have the time for someone like Dorothea; even if they were former classmates.

Where is she? Dorothea thought to herself. She knew Petra would be busy, but the sun was already high in the sky - indicating it was already noon - despite Petra telling her to meet in the morning.

A sigh left her mouth before the winds swooped it away, carrying the voice of someone familiar.

"Sorry I'm late!" Petra's voice was like music to her ears, one that she could sing along with for hours on end.

Dorothea felt a wave of salt hit her face as she turned around to her friend. Rubbing her eyes only made the stinging worse as the salt went deeper into her eye sockets. Tears sprung into them as the stinging became pain, before she felt two hands wrap around her wrists and soothing words in her ears.

"Sit still."

The hands moved her own out of the way before cold fingers touched her eyelids. They gently stroked them, the pain behind her lids calming down as they moved up and down.

"Open?" It wasn't a command, but a tiny question that she couldn't help but let it swirl around her head before Dorothea opened her eyes. It hurt only a bit now, but she couldn't even try to focus on the pain as the woman before her was outright stunning.

Purple braids almost shone in the sun, brown eyes reminding Dorothea of the ground beneath her; steady and unmoving, but still more adaptable than she could ever be.

A smile appeared on Petra's face, even brighter than the sun itself. Dorothea matched her as she felt herself pulled closer by the Queen; hands behind her back making her blush as Petra looked into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" She had been practising… despite the fact she had been living in Brigid for years her Fódlanese accent had gotten better even after she left.

Dorothea nodded her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Air left Petra's nose in relief as she let her hands slide away from Dorothea, stopping at her hands to bring the songstress to a ship behind them. Dorothea hadn't noticed Petra had arrived in a sailboat, as its waves had probably caused her lack of vision for a while.

Light brown coloured wood shone in the overhead sun, making Dorothea blink again. Despite the wood looking new, everything else looked almost ancient - as if Petra had this boat since she was little. The association she made with that calmed her down from uprising nerves until Petra stepped in, making the boat rocket a bit as the weight of the woman pushed the boat into the sea.

Petra turned around, reaching her hand out to Dorothea. She looked confused at the woman on the ship. "I've never sailed before." Her words were no more than a whisper.

Was she nervous to get on a boat? Something so trivial it almost made her laugh. She had been on plenty of boats in her life, but this one was… small. Smaller than a fishing boat. She wondered if it would be able to hold them both.

Slowly she reached out to Petra, her hand swiftly grabbed by the Queen before she was pulled into the boat. It rocketed back and forth for a bit - Dorothea's hand gripping the Queen's tight - before the boat calmed down and they both settled on a seat.

"Sorry again for being late. The winds… wooshed very hard, so it took me a while to get here. Don't worry though, I think they're calmed down now." She let go of Dorothea's hand, searching on the side of the boat where she could easily set them off. "You don't mind going to the sea?"

Dorothea shook her head. "Not if you tell me where we're going."

"Not far" was all she got as Petra swung her leg over the side and pushed them away from the pier. As the boat moved side to side again, Petra immediately started making preparations for the sail; her hands moved across ropes and metal, each time pulling on something Dorothea didn't know would apparently aid in getting the sail down. She looked almost bewildered at the woman in front of her, able to move around the tiny amount of space with such precision Dorothea would be surprised if she wasn't called a master.

How come she never knew Petra was good at sailing? The Queen had rarely told her about anything from her past, but she wondered why Petra wouldn't be proud of this skill.

A few moments later the winds blew into the sail, letting them almost fly out of the port towards a destination unknown.

Dorothea let the winds flow through her hair, closing her eyes to feel both the sun and the winds battling to either heat or cool her face, together making the perfect temperature.

When she opened them again she saw Petra looking back at her almost lovingly. As soon as she noticed Dorothea watching her, she looked back around to where they were going; almost if she was embarrassed to do so.

A hum left Dorothea's mouth as she stood up, wanting to see how the Queen would react if she were to-

"D-Dorothea!" She had put her hands around Petra's waist, and while pulling the Queen close she had put her head on the woman's shoulder.

"What?" Her tone was almost mischievous, making the Queen blush under her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no not really I just uhhh didn't expect it." Petra's voice became almost high-pitched, as if she was struggling to keep her head focused. She felt herself heat up as Dorothea pulled her even closer, the fabric of Dorothea's clothes caressing her bare back. "Thea, I need to-"

Another hum left Dorothea's mouth while Petra was trying to finish her sentence.

But before she could the boat started swinging for a third time as Petra almost lost control over the sail. Dorothea let her go immediately and was thrown back, hitting the side of the boat hard as she felt herself falling even further - before a hand grabbed her own and pulled her back in.

She was placed back in her seat before Petra tried to get the control back over her boat. It didn't take her long, and soon she was closing back the sail as they had apparently arrived on their destination.

She came to sit by Dorothea, who was rubbing her back silently to not disturb the Queen.

"You okay?" She put her own hand on Dorothea's back, softly massaging the sore spot. "I'm sorry you got hurt."

"No don't worry! It's kind of my own fault," Dorothea answered, closing her eyes as she smiled at Petra. "So are we there?"

A small laugh escaped Petra's throat. "Yup!"

She pulled out a basket from under the seat, which made Dorothea look around the boat again. "No other surprises?"

Another laugh escaped. "No this is it. I got us lunch."

At that very moment Petra's stomach growled, her face turning red again as she looked away from Dorothea.

Dorothea grabbed one of the sandwiches Petra had prepared for her, seeing the woman wait for her until she bit off a piece.

The Queen dug in almost like an animal, half of the sandwich gone in a matter of seconds. She looked down for a moment, embarrassed about her poor behaviour before she saw Dorothea do the same.

With both mouths almost completely covered in food they wolfed down the remainder of their sandwich, before smiling at each other while each grabbed a second piece - now taking their time to actually taste the toppings.

It reminded Dorothea of the first time they sat next to each other in the dining hall. Completely empty except for the cooks, Dorothea had sat opposite to the only other person in the room - a student that had just arrived in the monastery a few days prior. They hadn't acknowledged each other, the girl only glancing forward before continuing her dinner, but no sign told Dorothea she wasn't welcome to sit down.

Dorothea didn't know what to do other than eat, so they both sat in silence until one of the cooks said something to them.

"Only one more plate left girls, if you want it."

It was as if a primal urge erupted in Dorothea, memories of the past forcing her to chew her food faster - swallow things whole if necessary - just to get that last plate.

In the corner of her eye she saw the girl do the same, as if she had the same message drilled into her - to keep eating.

They finished at almost the exact same time, trying not to run as fast as they could to get the last plate.

Dorothea's stomach growled at the thought of losing, and - though she didn't know why - spurt on her feet as she reached the counter.

Somehow she got there first, her plate being filled with delicious Country-Style Red Turnip Plate. The new student stood watching beside her, slight irritation showing on her face.

With a defeated walk she went back to her seat, scraping her plate for any leftovers. Dorothea couldn't help but see herself sit there, as the bullies of the orphanage would often take her plate when they were done with their own.

She sat opposite from the girl again, grabbing her plate while nodding down to her own.

The girl cocked her head, then nodded as Dorothea pointed her fork at her own plate. She split the meal in half and shoved one half onto the girl's plate.

"Thank you" was all she said before digging in, this time a bit slower than before.

They silently ate again, the last plate filling Dorothea up completely. The girl had already finished, but kept sitting as she watched Dorothea eat.

"My name's Dorothea," Dorothea said between bites, "what's yours?"

"I am being... no, I am Petra."

"That's a nice name! Where are you from, if I may ask?"

Petra watched Dorothea take a few more bites, before silently saying "Brigid".

Dorothea smiled back at her, hoping the girl wouldn't find it weird. "Brigid sounds like a beautiful place to visit sometime."

The girl hummed in response, thanking her again as she stood up and walked out of the dining hall.

At that moment Dorothea had wondered if Petra would ever speak to her again.

"We don't have to do that anymore, huh?" Petra's words made her jump back to reality, her eyes focusing on the woman before her. "W-what?" she said confused.

"Eat like that; we don't have to do that anymore."

Dorothea looked down at her sandwich, realising this was her second one already. It was an old habit they both never really lost. "Yeah, you're right."

"But we still do... is that weird?" Petra dropped her smile, a sad look on her face appeared while she stared out over sea.

Dorothea shook her head. "I don't think so, it's not like we can stop it." She put a hand on Petra's knee in the hopes she could lift her spirits again.

Petra swallowed her last bite before putting her head on Dorothea's shoulder. "You're right, Thea."

They ended up falling asleep in their seat side by side after putting away the basket - only to be awoken by fish splashing all around them.

The sky had turned into a dozen colours, the warm end of the sinking sun in front of them, and the cold end of the rising moon behind.

Sunset Gliders jumped past them, almost floating in the air before graciously falling back into the sea. Their scales shone like a rainbow, almost looking like the sun was playing with its light on them.

They pointed each other at particularly beautiful ones; they were smiling at tiny Sunset Gliders that only barely lifted from the waters, and looked in awe at the ones that could jump over their boat - so close they could almost touch them.

Before they could really take in the beauty of the fish, it was over. The group went back under the waves, waiting for another sunset to come out again.

They leaned back into their seat, looking up into the sky as Dorothea felt her hands being entangled with Petra's.

"It's a beautiful night, I wish we could stay here longer," she heard Petra say as the Queen rolled sideways, letting go of Dorothea's hand to instead wrap around her stomach. It send butterflies all over her body, a sensation she couldn't help but smile at.

"Is this how I made you feel this afternoon?" The words had left her mouth before she could even think them through.

Before she could apologise however, Petra had already nuzzled her head into Dorothea's shoulder.

"Even better," she answered. Slowly she wrapped herself tighter around Dorothea's body, the cold winds sending shivers down her spine as the heat of the sun left them. "Is this okay?"

Dorothea didn't know what to say. Her heart pounded against her chest, hoping Petra couldn't hear the drumming. Of course it was okay, it felt like a dream come true. For years Dorothea had longed for the same intimacy they had during the war, but as Petra moved away those dreams shattered. Now they had rekindled with a new flame, one she knew could outlast anything in the world.

But still fear embraced her heart, something that had never truly left her; the fear of rejection. All these years had felt like Petra had rejected her, refused her to come to Brigid.

Hundreds of letters had proved her wrong over the years, but they had felt like empty words in her loneliest nights. She couldn't help but think Petra forgot about her, meeting new people without her while she rotted away in the opera again.

Darkness spread around her thoughts as she dipped into the deepest parts of her mind - ones she had stowed away for longer than she could remember.

She choked back tears as she lost all sense of touch, pools of black that appeared in her mind pulling her down an all too familiar rabbit hole as-

A hand was placed on her cheek. Her mind was confused for a moment. It shouldn't be there, what was a hand doing on her cheek? It wasn't a slap - no... it was gentle, fingers spreading as a soft word filled her ears.

"Thea?"

It made her reel back to reality, her thoughts almost violently letting go of her as the felt the cold of the winds and rocking of the boat again.

Dorothea put her hands against her forehead, breathing in and out slowly to calm herself down. "I'm, I'm okay, Petra."

"Did they come back? Your thoughts, I mean."

Dorothea sighed. She forgot just how much Petra knew about her.

"Yeah..."

"I'm here."

A laugh left her mouth. "I know, Petra."

"I don't feel like you do." She couldn't help but get closer, turning Dorothea's head so she could look into those emerald eyes. "You can tell me anything."

"I don't... there's nothing to say what you don't already know."

"Thea..."

"Can we just lay here?"

Petra nodded, loosening up her grip around Dorothea.

But she didn't want that, turning to her side as she planted her head under Petra's chin, wrapping her arms around the Queen's back and holding on tight.

"I'm not leaving you." Petra began gently caressing Dorothea's long, beautiful hair. The songstress breathing became faster before she answered.

"Why not?" Her words sounded choked as she talked into Petra's chest.

"Because...," Petra said, pausing to kiss the woman's head for a few seconds before continuing, "I love you."

Petra felt tears against her chest, Dorothea's sniffed words entering her ears minutes after she made her confession. Petra had let her thoughts wander during that time, asking herself what was going through Dorothea right now. Never had she really understood the songstress' thoughts about herself, or the way her mind could block off anything in order to come back to it later; more than once Petra had found Dorothea in a half-asleep state, clearly distressed with tears running down her face. But as she confronted her about it, Dorothea always brushed it off as something minor.

Dorothea's words were soft in her ears, almost like she was too afraid to say them.

"You do?"

The Queen smiled down at her. "I do, Thea."

She felt Dorothea's head bury herself even further into her chest, minutes passing again before either of them spoke.

Finally Dorothea let Petra go, moving up to place her forehead against the Queen's.

"I... I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> I mightve been slightly influenced by She-ra while writing this... kind of angsty confession there  
> Hope you enjoyed! Dont forget to check out all the other creators that were part of the zine!


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